Disclaimer. All publicly recognizable characters, settings etc., are the property of their respective owners. The original character s, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. I only do this for fun.

The Major

A/N: If you have any questions or comments, post them in my reviews and I will answer them in my next Author's Note at the bottom of the chapter! Enjoy! - Bella'Xo

Previously…
(Jasper's POV)

From across the lot, I could feel Edward's jealousy spike at the affectionate gesture, as Alice's smile faltered with envy. I wasn't sure what her deal was or why she seemed to be imperceptibly pursuing someone, who was her 'best friend's' mate. I wasn't even sure if Bella had picked up on that yet, or if she was internally occupied with her own problems to notice the subtle hints that the pixie-like vampire was throwing out. Either way, she had nothing to worry about, because I loved her and no one could pry me away from the woman that I had waited so long to meet.

Taking in a deep breath, we resumed our headway across the lot towards the group of vampires and their unspecified intents.

Chapter 17
(Bella's POV)

The four of us stared head on at the four of them, waiting to see which one of us would be the first to talk. I, myself, had nothing to say to them, figuring that the way that they had left me would speak on its own.

However, Peter wasn't as patient. "Are we just gonna stand here and have a starin' contest all day, or are y'all gonna tell us what the hell you want?" He demanded irritably.

Edward, who had yet to take his eyes off of me, went to take a step forward, only to stop short when Jasper let out a snarl. His eyes flickered over towards Jasper, his eyes widening as he took in the way he pulled me slightly behind him in a possessive manner.

"No, you can't be!" He gasped in horror. "Alice saw -"

"It doesn't matter what your seer has seen!" Peter interrupted him at vampire speed, knowing that the wrong words or actions could have the Major on them in seconds in front of all these humans, who were eyeing us curiously as they made their way towards their prospective vehicles.

"Look, maybe we should talk about this in a more private location." Alice reasoned, her eyes flickering towards a group of human girls, who were gathered together only a few feet away from us, discretely watching us with intrigue.

"I agree," Charlotte nodded. I whipped my head around to look at her in protest, but she gave me an equally intense look as she reasoned with me. "It has to be done sometime, Sug. We might as well get it out of the way, together."

I continued to study her as I began to gnaw on my bottom lip, a nervous habit I had kept from when I was human. I looked up at my mate, taking in his stance and the way that he was staring down the Cullen's. He wasn't nearly as used to integrating himself within the human world as the rest of us, having been with Maria since the mid eighteen hundreds and I knew that it would kill him to have lost control of himself with so many human teenagers so close to us. Finally, I looked back over at Char and gave her a single nod, knowing that she was right and that this was something that had to be done before we could continue on living in the same area, for objecting would only prolong the inevitable.

"Good, then it's settled!" Alice chimed as a smile lit up her features. "You can follow us to our house, since Carlisle and Esme are already there, waiting."

I looked up at Jasper, knowing that he had to be the one to agree to this as our coven leader. His eyes were jet black and it was obvious that he didn't like any of this in the slightest, but, like the rest of us, knew that this was a necessity. Not to mention, if we had to do this, I'd rather it not be at our ranch, for many reasons.

The two groups split apart and headed to our designated vehicles, tossing our bags into the trunk. I slid into the passenger seat while Jasper hopped in through the driver's side, Peter and Char in the back. He, then, started the engine, slipping to the appropriate gear before pulling out of the lot, following behind Edward's silver Volvo.

How did I not notice it when we first arrived?

We drove in silence, not knowing what to say, yet all had an understanding. I made sure to shield each of our minds to protect us from any unwanted guests who tend to snoop around in our thoughts.

Feeling the change with his gift, Jasper reached over, taking my hand in his and gave me a small, encouraging smile. "Thanks, darlin'." I nodded once as we once again lapsed into silence for the rest of the journey.

It wasn't long before we found ourselves pulling off the main road and onto a hidden side road, which was surrounded by trees; much like the Cullen's never-ending driveway back in Forks. It took us about a minute and a half to make it to the end, where it opened up to a large brick house, completely different from their other home. However, I could still see all of the touches that Esme had made in the garden. There was also a large green house off to the side of the property, which had all types of amazing flowery smells pouring from it.

We finally came to a stop behind Edward's Volvo, as Jasper pushed the gear shift back into park before turning off the engine. He looked over at me with his hand still resting on the key, his face filled with worry.

"Are you sure you're up for this today?" He asked.

Taking in a deep breath, I nodded. "It has to be done."

I felt a hand move to my shoulder, and I turned around to see Peter giving me an encouraging nod. "You can do it, Lil Bit. You're not the same girl that they once knew. You're better than that."

"And you have us," Char interjected with finality. My eyes met hers and I gave her an appreciative smile before turning my attention back to my mate.

"Let's do this."

The ten of us were crowded inside of the Cullen's living room, sharing uncomfortable gazes. It had been like this from the second we entered their home, making brief introductions before making our way into this room.

I had always thought that if this moment ever happened, that I would have heaps to say to them, tons of questions wanting answers, but now that it's here, I just didn't care anymore. I had moved on and didn't need their pity.

Finally, after what felt like a lifetime, but had realistically only been about a minute and a half, Carlisle spoke up.

"First, let me just apologize for the manner in which we had left. It was wrong of us to not even say goodbye." He said.

I couldn't help but to scoff at that. "Since when do people say goodbye to their pets? After all, that's all I was to you people." I began to feel Jasper vibrating from next to me as he held me possessively in his arms. It was his way of telling everyone that I was his and that he was mine. I was expecting this from him, however, what I did not expect was the reaction from Emmett.

"Pet? What do you mean pet? You were never our pet." He looked as though he was appalled and, dare I say it, hurt at the very notion that I would even think such a thing.

Immediately, my eyes connected with Edward, who began to squirm under everyone's stare.

"Edward?" Esme pressed, her eyes filled with hope that he would deny our accusations.

He stayed silent for a moment longer, before he let out a long, dragged out sigh. "It was the only way that I could get her to let us go."

Rosalie scoffed at this. "What, there was no nicer way to tell your girlfriend that we were leaving to protect her? Yeah, I don't buy that."

"And she still became a vampire anyway, Ed. Seriously? You knew how much I cared about Bella and it wasn't bad enough that you forced us all to leave, but you left her thinking that we never cared about her? That's a dickhead move, Edward!" Emmett growled at his adoptive brother.

Edward sighed, "Look, I know I messed up, and if I could take it back, I would."

"How did this happen, anyway, Bella?" Carlisle inquired.

I bit my lip and let out the breath that I didn't realize I had been holding. "It was done to save my life." I turned to smile gratefully at Peter and Char. "Without them, I would have been dead."

Jasper growled at this, pulling me tighter into his chest. I noticed Edward narrowing his eyes at our displays of affection, looking as though he was holding himself back for some reason. Even Alice had frowned.

What was her deal?

Come to think of it, all of the Cullen's had varied expressions of puzzlement on their faces, though I didn't have much time to think on it as Emmett spoke.

"What happened?"

Peter interrupted before I could respond, "Y'all did a piss poor clean up job, that's what happened."

"What are you talking about? Stop talking in riddles!" Edward snapped at Peter, sending a glare his way before his eyebrows shot up towards his penny-colored hair. "Why can't I read your mind?" His eyes began to dance from one member of my coven to the next. "Why can't I read any of your minds? Is this some kind of trick?"

"It's no trick, Edward." I spoke calmly from within my mates arms. "It's just an aspect of my shield. I figured that we'd level the playing field, for once."

"Bad ass," Emmett grinned to himself as Edward snarled, leaning back onto the plush throw pillows behind him, similar to that of an indignant child.

Carlisle cleared his throat in an attempt to gain everyone's attention, clasping his hands with his elbows resting on his knees in front of him. "If I may bring everyone back to the matter at hand; Peter, may I ask what you meant when you spoke of us not cleaning up after ourselves?"

Peter let out a sigh and dropped his head, knowing that the time for childish quips and smart remarks was over for the time being. He then looked back up into the eyes of the blonde leader as he spoke. "It might be best if we start from the beginning, before Char and I met Bella so that you can understand how we got to Forks in the first place." At Carlisle's nod, he continued. "But first, you need to be aware that I just happen to 'know' things."

"Like a gift?" Alice asked from her spot on the couch next to Edward.

Peter snorted, "No, it's not a gift."

Her dark brows furrowed, "Then, I don't understand. How do you know things if it's not a gift? It either is or it isn't, and if it's a supernatural ability, it is a gift."

Peter began to clench his teeth, balling his hands at his sides. I bit my lip to hide the upcoming smirk that was bound to cross my face with what I knew was coming next. Peter was very stubborn when it came to his ability and refused to call it a gift or a power with a vengeance. Jasper sensed my emotions and – along with his knowledge of Peter and his ability – gave me a squeeze as he sent his hilarity at me, not bothering to hide his amusement at what he knew was coming.

"Listen, Little Miss Know-it-All, you don't know shit 'bout me an' what I can do! So, if I say that it's not a gift, it's not a friggin' gift! I just 'know shit', alright?" He barked at her and Charlotte immediately placed her hand on his forearm, attempting to soothe his anger.

Silence followed his retort as everyone continued to sit in the uncomfortable quiet. Finally, Carlisle, the constant peacemaker, spoke.

"If I may, what kinds of things do you 'know'? How does it work? Is it like Alice's gift where she gets visions of the future?" He wondered, always craving new knowledge.

"No, I don't get 'visions'," - he made quotation marks with his fingers around the word – "Random knowledge about anything and everything just unsystematically makes its way into my mind. Sometimes it doesn't make sense right away, but it's never wrong. It could be about something that happened in the past, or something that is happening right now, or even in the future. And sometimes, it's just information about a random topic. It's exactly how it sounds when I say that I just 'know' things."

Carlisle nodded his head in understanding, knowing that it wouldn't be safe to press for more information. "Does the rest of your coven have…abilities? Bella, you said something about a shield?" As he said this, all eyes made their way to rest on me.

I nodded, "Yes, I have a physical, as well as a mental shield. I am also a telepath."

Everyone instantly showed varied expressions of shock at this new information.

"A telepath? You mean, like Edward?" Carlisle wondered.

I shook my head, "It's more than that. I can read minds as well as project my thoughts to others. But with my shield, I am able to turn it off and on. Like, right now, I have it off. I don't like to use it. I believe that a person's thoughts should be their own and aren't for me to plunder without their permission."

Rosalie snorted at this, "Edward, maybe you should be taking notes."

He scowled at her, "Well, I don't have a shield to be able to turn my gift on and off, Rose. Trust me when I say that there is nothing that I would love more at times."

"What about you two, Jasper and Charlotte? Are you gifted, as well?" Esme asked, attempting to change the subject to keep her 'children' from fighting.

I looked up at Jasper as he pursed his lips, contemplating on how much about himself he should reveal, no doubt. Finally, he nodded. "Yes, ma'am. I am an empath. I can feel an' manipulate the emotions around me."

Carlisle's eyes lit up at this, "Fascinating! That is a very useful gift."

Jasper shrugged, "For the most part, though it is also one of the main reasons that I chose to follow Bella in her diet. Feeling someone's emotions as they die is far from pleasant."

Esme nodded, sadly. "I can imagine, it isn't."

"Now, as captivating as this has all been, what does your ability of 'knowing' have to do with your ending up in Forks?" Edward snarked sarcastically, bringing everyone back on track before anyone had the chance to press Char about herself.

Esme sent a glare at her adoptive son. "That wasn't very nice, Edward." He rolled his eyes, but didn't respond.

Peter ignored the mind reader's cynicism, picking right back where he left off in his tale, which wasn't far. "It's important because I 'knew' that Char and had to find Bella. For the first time, a picture popped up in my head, telling me that she would be important and that we had to find her fast.

"We searched the states for months and finally, when we got to Forks, Washington, I knew we were there. We ended up catching up to her in a meadow up in the woods near the peak of a mountain. There was a vampire drinking from her and I knew I had to save her."

"It was Laurent," I interjected, knowing that they would know who he was.

And I was right. Recognition filled each of the Cullen's and the each exchanged a troubled glance.

A/N: Here's part 1 of the Cullen's house! Any ideas on what will happen next? What will they think of Bella's story? Will Jasper be able to keep it together? What about Bella and Jasper's mating? What will everyone have to say about that? Stay tuned! LOL! Review!

If you have any questions or comments, post them in my reviews and I will answer them in my next Author's note!

To see more, go to my FF page: Xo Bella Italiana oX

If you enjoyed this story so far, check out some of my other stories on my FanFiction page! Also, I am still accepting Twilight stories that involve Jasper/any female leads or Bella/selected male leads if anyone is looking for a Beta Reader. I will make exceptions on the characters depending on the plot. I am also accepting other story topics as well! PM me for details!
- Bella'Xo -
Xo Bella Italiana oX